Generalise = Ostracise

You know when people get into an argument and the one party, between swear words, shouts to the other “You don’t even know me!”? Usually those words are the precursor to the end of the disagreement and are never really considered. Yet, there might be much truth behind those five words. Bear with me now and let me explain.

Society dictates that we should not trust others. Am I right? This, we are taught from a young age. Generally it is a good notion but can lead to undesirable circumstances. How can we get to know others properly if we do not trust them and furthermore, how can we form an opinion of them without sufficient interaction? The problem that arises is that instead of forming a legitimate opinion of someone or something, we instead do not make the effort to get to know them and subsequently rely on mere speculation. How iniquitous.

Once we’ve decided that it is not worth the effort, we accept our malformed judgements which in turn become generalisations, often communicated to others. Consequently our judgements become ‘facts’ upon which we act and thus never allow us to intermingle with the generalised, in question. Now, the effort is made to steer clear of these parties and for no bona fide reason. We stick to what we know and ostracise that which we do not.

This process is not conscious and happens on a continuous basis. It is quite possibly one of the most ridiculous traits that humans possess. Maybe it is innate but surely a conscious effort could challenge that? Our social groups remain fixed and can become stale before long; this, all thanks to a bit of laziness and a smidgen of mistrust. This is not acceptable. 

I have encountered this first-hand. Recently, I bought a new car for myself. It is by no means considered standard. It has mags, a sound system, free-flow exhaust system and a whole lot of power. Now when I think of someone else who has a car like that, I imagine them to be arrogant, unintelligent and even ‘common’. This is in complete contrast to what I, and others, consider myself to be. Evidently, generalisations are skewered and I am too, guilty. I have found that other motorists have experienced the above-mentioned process of generalisations and put them into practise. I have lights flashed at me, dirty looks passed my way and obvious comments made. I find this offensive and hostile, quite frankly. 

Granted, many generalisations may hold water, it is not fair to assume such assumptions without some sort of justification. My appeal to you is that before you make your next supposition that you would engage with the entity and really decipher whether or not it is appropriate. I am certain that some of the instances may have been misconceived and you will find yourself surprised at how decent the individual is, and how wrong you were. 

Minx - 2.0l Citi Golf